Mystery Binding
by Lionrose
Summary: Monica fights to retain her sanity and her heart while Fala pushes her to open old wounds. Please read and review. First fan fic, please be kind.
1. Chapter One: Brie's Briar

_I don't claim any of this, save for the characters of Monica, Brief, and Binding. And maybe some more to come later._

Mystery Binding

Chapter One: Brie's Briar

"I said _no,_ Fala!" I snapped again, pushing the black-haired vampire away. "I won't do it!"

She pouted at me, her hands reaching up to her hair to fiddle with the blue combs that held her bangs back. "Why not?" she demanded.

I met her gaze easily, my eyes as dark as hers, maybe darker.

"Because breaking people is not what I do," I said evenly, already regretting my outburst. I prided myself on my self control, but somehow, whenever Fala was near me, I couldn't keep my temper under wraps.

"You were so _good_ at it, though," she mewed, coming close enough that I could smell the blood in her breath.

"I don't do that kind of thing anymore."

"You should listen to her, Fala," said Jessica, pushing herself off the wall. She stalked over to us, her hair swinging as she walked.

I had known that Jessica had been standing in the darkness, listening to us argue, but Fala hadn't, once again informing both Jessica and I that Fala didn't deserve three minutes of our attention because we could kill her with a thought.

Fala's eyes flashed in surprise when Jessica came into the light from the bar, and when she saw her I couldn't help but laugh.

Jessica and Fala had been enemies since before Jessica had been turned into a vampire, because Jessica had written things about Fala that had made her seem weak, and there is nothing more fatal to a vampire than weakness. Once known in the vampire community as Ash Night, Jessica had been a human author who dreamed vampire dreams, and had written books about them. After we had found her, Fala had fought her, and Aubrey had changed her, we had discovered that Jessica had been half-vampire, one of Siete's fledgling's daughter.

Speak of the devil, into the bar walked Aubrey, his handsome profile bringing every human woman's eyes in the bar to him, and some of the men's, as well.

For once, we weren't at Las Noches. I didn't frequent the vampire bar anyway, as I really didn't care for the people there. When I felt the need, I headed to Brie's Briar, a little tavern in the middle of Ramsa.

"Hello, Monica," said Aubrey, his eyes flicking to Fala, "How are you?"

"I could be better," I admitted. My own eyes went to the skin above his collar bone. "New tattoo?"

He looked sheepish. "Couldn't help it. Jessica loved the design."

I shook my head. He and Jessica had been acting like newlyweds ever since he had changed her. Still, I had to say that it was a nice design. The tattoo was a black rose with a green/black steam, the dark colors stood out starkly against his pale skin.

"What do you want, Aubrey?" snarled Fala.

(She hated him, too, by the way.)

"Do I need a reason?"

"Yes," she hissed.

"Well, then," he said, pulling Jessica to him and wrapping an arm around her waist, "I wanted to see Jessica."

"You always want to see Jessica," grumbled Fala. She looked at me. "If you won't break him for me…" She let her voice trail off.

"No, I won't," I answered firmly.

Aubrey looked interested. "Won't do what?"

Jessica pulled herself free from his grip so she could see his face while she talked. "Fala fell in love with a new human, Aubrey," she told him, "His name is Brief. So she turned him, expecting him to behave like Moira. However, he is very much _not_ in love with her, and Fala wants to break him down so he will."

"And she came to you?" Aubrey wanted to know.

I sighed. I hadn't wanted this to become common knowledge. In fact, I don't even know how Fala found out. "Before I was changed, I was a…I don't know, a trainer, I guess they're called. I worked with slaves."

"But you were changed when, when Cleopatra was queen?"

"Yeah."

"Women didn't hold positions of power then."

"I did." My tone was final; I didn't want to talk about this anymore.

"So Fala came to you for help in breaking this human-"

"Vampire," interjected Jessica.

"Vampire," Aubrey nodded, "And you're refusing to do it?"

"I thought that had been made quite clear," I muttered.

"Funny," Aubrey remarked, "I wouldn't have pegged you as a trainer." He looked at me closely, trying to read whatever was written in my eyes at the moment.

"You don't know me very well," I said, anger beginning to enter my tone.

Great, just great. Twice in one night, I've almost lost my temper. It has to be time to go.

I slid ten bucks across the bar to John, the bartender. Through the thick curtain of blonde hair that hid the rest of his face, he smiled. It was a heavy tip, since I had only had one drink tonight, and that had been a Coke. However, even though John was human, he was a "friend", and he liked to talk, when he wasn't working.

"Are you leaving?" asked Jessica, watching John scoop up the money, then resume the work of drying glasses. Even though their voices hid our conversation, there weren't that many people in the bar this late.

It was almost two in the morning.

"Yeah."

I turned away from the vampires, and started to make my way to the door, when Fala grabbed my shoulder.

Immediately, my training took over, and I grabbed her wrist and threw her over my shoulder. Caught by surprise, she hit the floor with a gasp, all the breath knocked out of her.

"Don't touch me," I said, staring down at her, all sprawled limbs and rumpled clothes. "Ever. I don't like to be touched."

Jessica was observing me very closely, and I had the feeling that she saw a lot more than I wanted her to.

I walked toward the door, pushing through the thin crowd of humans, toward the street, toward the _night,_ away from Fala and Aubrey and Jessica, and ran straight into the guy I had never thought to ever see again.

Mystery Binding


	2. Chapter Two: Binding

_I don't claim any of this, save for the characters of Monica, Brief, and Binding. And maybe some more to come later._

Mystery Binding

Chapter One: Brie's Briar

"I said _no,_ Fala!" I snapped again, pushing the black-haired vampire away. "I won't do it!"

She pouted at me, her hands reaching up to her hair to fiddle with the blue combs that held her bangs back. "Why not?" she demanded.

I met her gaze easily, my eyes as dark as hers, and maybe darker.

"Because breaking people is not what I do," I said evenly, already regretting my outburst. I prided myself on my self-control, but somehow, whenever Fala was near me, I couldn't keep my temper under wraps.

"You were so _good_ at it, though," she mewed, coming close enough that I could smell the blood in her breath.

"I don't do that kind of thing anymore."

"You should listen to her, Fala," said Jessica, pushing herself off the wall. She stalked over to us, her hair swinging as she walked.

I had known that Jessica had been standing in the darkness, listening to us argue, but Fala hadn't, once again informing both Jessica and I that Fala didn't deserve three minutes of our attention because we could kill her with a thought.

Fala's eyes flashed in surprise when Jessica came into the light from the bar, and when she saw her I couldn't help but laugh.

Jessica and Fala had been enemies since before Jessica had been turned into a vampire, because Jessica had written things about Fala that had made her seem weak, and there is nothing more fatal to a vampire than weakness. Once known in the vampire community as Ash Night, Jessica had been a human author who dreamed vampire dreams, and had written books about them. After we had found her, Fala had fought her, and Aubrey had changed her, we had discovered that Jessica had been half-vampire, one of Siete's fledgling's daughter.

Speak of the devil, into the bar walked Aubrey, his handsome profile bringing every human woman's eyes in the bar to him, and some of the men's, as well.

For once, we weren't at Las Noches. I didn't frequent the vampire bar anyway, as I really didn't care for the people there. When I felt the need, I headed to Brie's Briar, a little tavern in the middle of Ramsa.

"Hello, Monica," said Aubrey, his eyes flicking to Fala, "How are you?"

"I could be better," I admitted. My own eyes went to the skin above his collarbone. "New tattoo?"

He looked sheepish. "Couldn't help it. Jessica loved the design."

I shook my head. He and Jessica had been acting like newlyweds ever since he had changed her. Still, I had to say that it was a nice design. The tattoo was a black rose with a green/black steam, the dark colors stood out starkly against his pale skin.

"What do you want, Aubrey?" snarled Fala.

(She hated him, too, by the way.)

"Do I need a reason?"

"Yes," she hissed.

"Well, then," he said, pulling Jessica to him and wrapping an arm around her waist, "I wanted to see Jessica."

"You always want to see Jessica," grumbled Fala. She looked at me. "If you won't break him for me…" She let her voice trail off.

"No, I won't," I answered firmly.

Aubrey looked interested. "Won't do what?"

Jessica pulled herself free from his grip so she could see his face while she talked. "Fala fell in love with a new human, Aubrey," she told him, "His name is Brief. So she turned him, expecting him to behave like Moira. However, he is very much _not_ in love with her, and Fala wants to break him down so he will."

"And she came to you?" Aubrey wanted to know.

I sighed. I hadn't wanted this to become common knowledge. In fact, I don't even know how Fala found out. "Before I was changed, I was a…I don't know, a trainer, I guess they're called. I worked with slaves."

"But you were changed when, when Cleopatra was queen?"

"Yeah."

"Women didn't hold positions of power then."

"I did." My tone was final; I didn't want to talk about this anymore.

"So Fala came to you for help in breaking this human-"

"Vampire," interjected Jessica.

"Vampire," Aubrey nodded, "And you're refusing to do it?"

"I thought that had been made quite clear," I muttered.

"Funny," Aubrey remarked, "I wouldn't have pegged you as a trainer." He looked at me closely, trying to read whatever was written in my eyes at the moment.

"You don't know me very well," I said, anger beginning to enter my tone.

Great, just great. Twice in one night, I've almost lost my temper. It has to be time to go.

I slid ten bucks across the bar to John, the bartender. Through the thick curtain of blonde hair that hid the rest of his face, he smiled. It was a heavy tip, since I had only had one drink tonight, and that had only been a Coke. However, even though John was human, he was a "friend", and he liked to talk, when he wasn't working.

"Are you leaving?" asked Jessica, watching John scoop up the money, then resume the work of drying glasses. Even though their voices hid our conversation, there weren't that many people in the bar this late.

It was almost two in the morning.

"Yeah."

I turned away from the vampires, and started to make my way to the door, when Fala grabbed my shoulder.

Immediately, my training took over, and I grabbed her wrist and threw her over my shoulder. Caught by surprise, she hit the floor with a gasp, all the breath knocked out of her.

"Don't touch me," I said, staring down at her, all sprawled limbs and rumpled clothes. "Ever. I don't like to be touched."

Jessica was observing me very closely, and I had the feeling that she saw a lot more than I wanted her to.

I walked toward the door, pushing through the thin crowd of humans, toward the street, toward the _night,_ away from Fala and Aubrey and Jessica, and ran straight into the guy I had never thought to ever see again.

_I don't claim any of this, save for the characters of Monica, Brief, and Binding. And maybe some more to come later._

_And thanks to Between2worlds and princesstygerlilly, who left great reviews. Please, everyone, I would really like to know what you think._

Chapter Two: Binding

Well, that wasn't his real name, of course. Binding was, but Mystery was mine.

Or it had been, until I had left him.

You see, Binding had been the one to change me into a vampire. Hate, and passion, is nothing when compared to us.

I didn't want to visit these memories. Not again.

I tried to push past him, to get away, but he pulled me back with a hand on my shoulder that let me know that he hadn't come here just for a drink.

"_No."_

"It's good to see you too, Mystery," he replied dryly. "How long has it been? Three years?"

"Try three hundred," I retorted. "And I don't go by that name anymore."

"Has it honestly been that long?" His face was the very picture of angelic innocence.

It just went to show how well he lied.

However, there was no use in denying the fact that he had the face of an angel. His blonde hair was shaggy enough to brush his collar, and his eyes were even darker than mine, an obsidian black that almost glowed. His face wasn't exactly handsome, but his features were memorable, which made sure that he was remembered as handsome.

"Get out of my way, Binding," I said coldly. "I don't have anything to say to you."

I used some of my now considerable strength, strength that he had given me and not taught me how to use, to move him back a few steps, enough to get him out of my way.

I smiled to myself as I dashed out the door. Good to know that even after all these years, I could still surprise him.

I disappeared, and then reappeared above the rooftops across from Brie's Briar, going down on one knee to watch. If Binding had been looking for me, then there was no reason that he wouldn't come after me.

The shadows themselves clung to me as I waited for him, another one of the gifts that he had chosen to not teach me how to use.

Sure enough, after a few moments, he came out of the door, looking down the street, expecting to my back as I ran from him.

That conceited, smug, horrible bas-

"Ah!"

I toppled from the roof as someone's hand connected with my shoulder. I landed hard on my right side and shoulder, hissing with pain as it dislocated with a snap.

"Mystery?" Binding's voice was full of concern, but I knew that he was just pretending.

He wanted something.

I pushed myself to my feet, my left hand gripping my shoulder. It _hurt._ I mean, it would heal in a couple of minutes, but for now…it _hurt._

"My name is Monica," I told him again.

"That's not the name I gave you," he said, surprised.

I snorted. "Like I was going to keep that name after you abandoned me? I gave myself that name. It means 'Advisor,' and that's all I want to be." I looked up to the roof. "You can come down now, Todd," I called. "I know you're there."

I grunted as my shoulder repaired itself. I figured I'd have bruising the next day, but it would go away as soon as I…ate.

Todd jumped from stone to stone as he came down to ground level. He was a tall brunette, which eyes of light black, almost a gray. He smiled at me, his canines pointed and stained.

"Hello, Monica," he said, in his careful, precise voice. I had asked him about it once. He said that as long as he talked clearly, the voices in his head heard him and didn't talk back. "Who is this?"

"His name is I Was Just Leaving," I said, glancing at Binding.

Todd extended his hand, running his tongue over his teeth as he did so. "Hello, I Was Just Leaving," he said politely.

I always wondered why Todd's sire had sired him. It was clear to anyone with eyes that Todd wasn't exactly all there.

"Okay, that's wonderful, you guys are friends, now I'm going," I said, backing away from Todd and Binding.

"Oh, no you don't," Binding said, catching the back of my shirt with a blur of speed that even I marveled at. "We need to talk."

I tried to pull away, but I liked this shirt, and I didn't want it ripped. It was dark green, and said, _I fear the yelling_ across the front.

"No, we don't," I said firmly.

"Yes, we do." Binding glanced at Todd. "If you'll excuse us?"

Todd nodded. "Of course," he said, and his voice was a little more clipped than usual. "I'll just go and say hello to Brie. She's in the bar, right?"

Brie owned the bar. She was a tall, thin, blonde, human, but she was still a good friend of mine, as I had known her since she had opened the bar three years ago. Brie had a tendency to talk fast and go through men like candy. However, she was the one who did the leaving, and what she was going through was new to her. She had been dumped the night before, and discovering the "Men Are Rats" phase. I was betting on a week before she got over him. For some reason, she had really liked Mike.

I hadn't. He had been a jerk. Even for a human.

"She's in the back rooms," I said. "But be careful. She, Taylor, and Carmen are in an 'I Hate All Men' fest."

"I love those," he said seriously.

I worried about Todd sometimes.

He waved goodbye as he headed into the bar.

"Now, explain a couple of things to me," Binding said tightly, his friendly persona dropped now that he was only with me.

"Explain what?" I thought I said that quite calmly.

"Explain why you don't want to talk to me. Explain what you're doing living alone. Explain why that man just threw you off a roof, and _please_ explain why you're not mad about it."

I shrugged. "Todd is Todd. He does those kind of things sometimes. You learn to deal with it. He probably thought I was a bird, or something."

'Right," said Binding in disbelief. "A bird."

"Yeah." I looked pointedly at the hand on my shirt until he released me. "And I live alone because I want to. Men make things so much more complicated. Sometimes I wish I had been born lesbian." I took a step back. "And I don't want to talk to you because I don't want to talk to you. You're jerk. I would say that I hate you, but that would be a waste of my hatred."

"What did I ever do to you?" he asked, clearly surprised.

"See? That's why I think I should hate you. You don't even remember." I rolled my eyes.

"Wait a minute," he said, studying my face. "Is this about what happened in Rome?"

"You left me," I said slowly, copying Todd, "For some tiny blonde human named Cassandra. _Cassandra._ I mean, come on. You could have done better than Cassandra." He opened his mouth to talk, and I held up a hand. "And


End file.
